Too Blue
by Aaronna
Summary: My explanation for Merlin wearing a blue shirt with a blue neckerchief in Series 3 Episode 4: Gwaine. Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin


Merlin had overslept. It was hardly his fault, he had been up most of the night taking care of the man who had helped them in the tavern yesterday. So it was not his fault that he was still curled up on the spare cot down in the main chamber when Arthur stormed in a hour after dawn.

The poor boy had only been asleep a few hours when it happened, so Merlin was a little disoriented when the Prat nearly yelled his name in his ear. If Merlin had been in his right mind, there was no way he would have jumped up and covered the Prince's mouth. But he wasn't, so he did.

"Shhhh! Sleeping patients!" The boy whispered urgently.

Shaking Merlin off, Arthur looked at the servant. Merlin had vivid rings around his eyes and was clearly exhausted. The prince quickly realized that his manservant hadn't even realized who he had just shushed.

Merlin yawned a huge jaw-popping yawn and scrubbed his eyes before focusing on the person beside him.

Arthur watched as the sleepy look was quickly exchanged for shock and fear. The boy then blurted out a quick apology for being late and for covering his mouth before explaining himself.

Arthur had never really thought about who stayed up with patients until Merlin explained that he had been up until nearly dawn when Gaius has taken over watching for signs of infection. Merlin didn't show any of the tells he usually had when he lied. Add that to how tired the young man looked, Arthur quickly forgave him.

"Fine. I did say he was to have whatever he needed. Just try not to make a habit of this, _Mer_ lin." A wide smile spread across Merlin's face before he was accosted by another yawn.

"Wake yourself up. I'll get you a shirt that you haven't drooled all over, I can't have you looking like a slob at the council meeting." Arthur watched as yet another yawn stopped the boy from replying. Finally, Merlin gave up trying to speak and just nodded.

So while Merlin went to clean himself up, Arthur snuck up into Merlin's room. Strangely, the room was mostly clean except the discarded shirt that the narrow bed's occupant had been wearing earlier. After a quick look to verify that the man did look better, Arthur turned to the cupboard.

The clothing was neatly folded and labeled by color. As Arthur reached for one of the shirts from the blue stack, a loud snore from behind him caused him to jump and knock over the two neat stacks of neckerchiefs. Silently cursing himself, Arthur scooped up the pile and tossed them back onto the shelf. He then grabbed the blue shirt and one of the stupid scarves and returned to the main chamber.

The cold water seemed to have done wonders in waking the tired man up. Merlin didn't yawn the entire time he was changing behind Gaius's privacy screen. The boy seemed to be perfectly awake, despite the lack of his usual bright smile.

After checking on their savior once more, the two grabbed a quick bit of food before heading to the council meeting. The meeting lasted a little over an hour. Afterwards, Arthur sent Merlin to the kitchens for a meal for the injured man back in the boy's chamber.

/\\\/\\\

It was late when Merlin and Gwaine stumbled back into Gaius's chamber. After the father conversation, Merlin went over to his cabinet to get a set of cloths for the following day when he noticed the pile of neckerchiefs. Cursing lightly, Merlin knew he was going to have to ask, despite how much he hated letting others knowing his little secret.

"Gwaine? I hate to ask this of you, but could you help me with something?"

"You need only ask my friend. What is the problem?"

The rogue watched as the thin man battled with himself before coming over to the bed with a pile of four red and blue pieces of cloth.

"I… I am color blind." Merlin finally said after a minute of glaring at the neck wear.

"Aah! So that is why you are wearing all blue! I was wondering about that."

"What? Arthur grabbed these this morning, not me! You mean to tell me I have been running around in double blue! Why on earth would he do that?"

Gwaine raised his eyebrow. "The prince of Camelot got your clothes for you?"

Merlin nodded. "Why? You are his servant, not the other way around."

"I was late, so he showed up to yell at me until he found out Gaius had had me stay up most of the night to make sure your wound didn't show signs of infection. So while I woke myself up with a quick wash, he came up here and grabbed a shirt and scarf for me."

"How do you usually manage not to dress in the same colors?"

"I get Gaius to sort them after they are laundered and then I put them behind the label for the correct color. That is why I needed your help with these." Merlin said as he picked up and dropped the pile of neckerchiefs back onto the bed.

"That, I can help with." Gwaine said with a tipsy grin.

/\\\/\\\

It was years later that Merlin found out that Arthur too, was color blind. Fine, Gwaine was the one who found out, but he soon told Merlin and pointed out how it was the explanation for the drunken knight liked to call the "Too Blue Mistake".

It had happened during their recovery from the Lamia incident. Arthur had come in to the room where they were all resting and quietly asked Leon what color the two boots he was holding were. Gwaine was slightly shocked when Leon simply asked why Merlin hadn't helped him dress.

"Because the monster managed to break two of the idiots ribs as well as having knocked his head about. Gaius has him drugged in one of the other houses. Not that he would have been much help with this."

"Why not? He has been doing that job for the last seven years." Leon questioned.

"Because he is just as color blind as I am. I found that out over two years ago when I first met Gwaine. I accidently made him wear a blue neckerchief with one of his blue shirts. I never would have known if my father hadn't made a comment on it. But Merlin didn't seem to notice. Since then, I have found that he has placed labels stating the color of my clothing and boots. But last night I kicked the brown pair I was wearing over to where the black ones were sitting. So now I don't know what color these are."

Leon snorted softly in amusement. "One of these are black and the other is brown. Gwen knows your little secret, so ask her for help."

"How did she find out? We kept it from the castle staff."

"She knew before she started working in the castle. She was one of the people who was in my house when you hit your head. Do you know if Merlin was born like that or did it happen later on like yours did?"

"I don't know."

"You two have never talked about it?"

"Merlin doesn't know that I can't see color. I just hope he was born that way. It was hell for me when I stopped being able to tell one color from another."

"You cracked your skull and then the wound became infected. You were lucky that it was only your ability to distinguish colors that you lost. Your father and the rest of the kingdom was just glad you survived."

"I know, but no one should have to lose something like that… especially not at twelve years old."

/\\\/\\\

"Merlin, Mate?"

"Yeah, Gwaine?"

"Have you always been color blind?"

"No, it happened when I was nine."

"How did it happen? That is, if you don't mind me asking."

"It was a bad year. The harvest had failed and everything we did manage to gather was then taken by Cenred for taxes or by raiders. The entire village nearly starved that winter. I was one of six children that lived until spring. By that time, I lost the ability to see color, but at least I was alive. If the price for life was to see only shades of grey, then I was glad to pay it. What made you think to ask after nearly three years?"

"I found out the Princess was color blind after the Lamia. He didn't know I was awake when he discussed yours and his inability to see colors with Leon."

"Wait. Arthur knows? How?!"

"He found the labels and Uther had made a comment about the Too Blue Mistake in front of him right after it happened."

"He knew all this time and didn't tell me? Why not?!"

"He likely doesn't want to talk about how he lost his."

"He wasn't born that way? Do you know how it happened?"

"Yes, but that is his story to tell, not mine."

/\\\/\\\

It took almost a year for the two of them to finally admit they knew each other was color blind. A few days after the Royal wedding someone forced the two of them to talk about it by locking the two of them in Arthur's room with a note that said "wave a blue flag out of the window and you will be released."

Someone had hidden all of the clothing from the king's chamber. They had moved all of Merlin's blue clothing from behind their label as well. So, the two of them were now stuck in a room without a single scrap of blue cloth that they knew for sure was actually blue.

Merlin was furious at Gwaine for pulling this on them. Arthur was plotting how to make Leon suffer for forcing him to tell Merlin everything. Outside of the servant's entrance, Gwen was stifling a giggle as she pressed her ear to the door.

What the two men didn't know was, that the room was filled with blue cloth. The bed clothes were blue as was the duvet, pillows and towels. Merlin was actually wearing a blue shirt, as she had placed his red shirts and blue scarves in one of the barrels in his room and pushed the blue shirts to behind the red label. She knew the two of them needed to talk about this and she could think of no better way to do it than this.

/\\\/\\\

"This is ridiculous! I will not be locked in my own room by one of my knights!"

"Oh, Gwaine really did it this time! He knows it is a bad idea to prank either one of us."

"I was referring to Leon. Why would Gwaine do this?"

"The same reason Leon would. To get us to talk."

"Wait, Gwaine knows?!"

"He has known just as long as you, if not longer!"

"You told him? Why would you tell someone you had just met and not someone you had known for years?!"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because I knew he wouldn't make comments about how it explained how I was so incompetent!"

"I would never! I live with it too you know!"

"I didn't back then! And when I did find out, I didn't really want to explain how I found out and then talk about how it happened to me!"

The two men then just stood there staring at each other, breathing a little hard from all of their yelling, and were now studying the man before them.

"How old were you?"

"Nine, you?"

"Twelve."

"That is odd… What part of the year?"

"Midwinter. Why?"

Merlin just stood there with wide eyes.

"Merlin? What is it?"

"I lost mine at the same time of the year… I am three years younger than you…"

"That… That is impossible."

"Not impossible, just… Unlikely and unnerving. How did it happen? Surely not the way mine did."

"I fell and cracked my skull and then it got infected. I was told I nearly died."

"Alright. Different but similar.."

"What. You still aren't going to tell me?!"

"I nearly starved to death! Happy now, _Sire_?!"

Again, the room fell into silence.

After a minute, Merlin tilted his head toward the servant's entrance. Signaling for Arthur to stay silent, Merlin removed his shoes and walked to the door. His bare feet made no sound on the stone floor. Carefully, he pressed his ear to the center of the door. On the other side, he could hear Gwen's quick breathing and quiet mumbles.

Nodding, Merlin swiftly and silently rushed to the desk and beckoned Arthur to follow him.

 _We were wrong. It wasn't one of the knights. It was Gwen. She is listening right outside of the door. I have a plan, just follow my lead_. Merlin wrote on a spare leaf of parchment.

Nodding, The two returned to their original spots.

"So how are we supposed to get out of here? "

"Clearly we find something blue." Another silence filled the room. Merlin had gestured to Arthur keep going as he rushed back to the desk to grab the ink and parchment.

"Sorry. That was dumb." Arthur continued when Merlin was back in position.

"Sorry sire, but did the great Prat himself just apologize to a servant! Oh! The world is coming to an end!"

Both men grinned when they heard a stifled giggle.

"No, Merlin. You heard a man apologizing to his friend for acting like a prat."

The muffles "Oh!" and sniffles nearly made the two men burst into laughter.

 _I am going to climb down the wall and come back up through the castle and open the door_. Merlin wrote quickly.

 _WHAT?!_ Arthur hastily scrawled.

"Thank you sire." Merlin said aloud as he wrote, _I have done it before. How did you think I got in here when the troll queen was looking for me?_

"Don't let it go to your head, _Mer_ lin." _Fine, just be careful_.

"Oh yes! Wouldn't want it to outgrow your waist!" _I will be. You will have to make a bunch of noise and act like we are both searching the room while I am gone_. "Sorry… Let's get searching. Surely they left something we know is blue in here. Or maybe the key."

/\\\/\\\

It took Merlin longer than he had thought it would, but Arthur was amazed that he had gotten back so soon. Merlin had opened and closed the door so quietly that Arthur hadn't even heard him come in. That is why The King of Camelot nearly brained himself when Merlin touched his shoulder.

Arthur had been mumbling about stupid knights and the curse of not being able to tell what was actually blue with his head in the wardrobe when a hand came out of nowhere and landed on his shoulder. Arthur had known he was alone in the room, so he spun around and nearly hit his head into the frame for the door. Luckily for him, Merlin managed to pull him forward just enough that his face missed the wooden edge.

"Merlin! How bloody hell can you move around this room and not make a sound, but we go out hunting and they can hear you all the way in Gedref!"

Merlin's worried face was quickly replaced with a smile just before to began laughing. "Oh! Your face just then!"

"Ha ha, very funny _Mer_ lin. But laughing won't get us out of here."

Arthur's face lit into a huge smile when Merlin waved the key in front of him.

"No, but this key will." Merlin made sure to open the door that they both knew the Queen was listening when he said this.

Not only did Gwen fall into the room, Elyan, Leon, Percival and Gwaine did too.

"Where the hell did you get that key mate!" Gwaine yelled as he picked himself off the floor.

Merlin grinned and picked up the parchment he and Arthur had be corresponding on and threw it into the glowing coals there. Arthur's own grin grew when he realized what Merlin had just done.

"I think we will keep that to ourselves, don't you, Merlin?" Arthur practically purred with arrogance.

Merlin gave the group a mischievous smirk. "Most definitely, Sire."


End file.
